6 things to know before Indiana officials vote on new high school graduation rules

It’s about to get a lot more complicated for Indiana high schoolers to graduate — assuming a proposal is approved next week.

The plan for creating a system of “graduation pathways” has seen several twists and turns since lawmakers approved the idea last spring. Since then, a state committee has met for dozens of hours to try to figure out the answer to one key question: What skills do students need to be ready for life after high school?

Is it passing a test? Multiple tests? Showing you can get to a job on time? Completing an apprenticeship? All of these things? Unsurprisingly, no one quite agrees on the answer.

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The committee’s final recommendations will head to the Indiana State Board of Education next week, where the goal is to approve them so lawmakers can then incorporate the plans into state law when the session begins in January. But already, many educators and some policymakers have argued the process is happening way too fast.

For one thing, critics say the pathways are already too similar to existing diplomas and too complicated — both for schools to track and parents and students to understand. Because overworked school counselors would end up shouldering much of the tracking, school leaders are hesitant to add more to their plates.

There’s still time to let the state board know what you think — they are having a work session to discuss the plans on Tuesday, and their Wednesday meeting includes time for public comment.

In the meantime, we’re going to break down the plan for you and answer some key questions.

What are “graduation pathways”? Doesn’t Indiana already have four diplomas?

Indiana’s graduation requirements say students must meet the criteria of one of four diplomas (General, Core 40, Honors, Technical Honors) as well as pass a graduation exam — in this case, the 10th-grade ISTEP test. A couple years ago, the requirement was end-of-course exams in sophomore English and Algebra I.

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The pathways would take this idea a step further and lay groundwork earlier for what students plan to do post-high school.

Not only would students need to meet diploma requirements, but they would also have to satisfy additional criteria in most cases, which could be an exam, completing a certain number of advanced courses or gaining credit for internships.

Which students would be affected by the new pathways?

The new graduation pathways system would go into effect for today’s seventh-graders, who start high school in 2019-20 and graduate in 2022-23.

Does that mean high school students no longer need to take ISTEP?

Not exactly. While passing ISTEP would no longer be a roadblock to graduation, it’s still required by the federal government that high school students take state tests each year. That test is ISTEP through next year. After that, it could be end-of-course exams within the new ILEARN testing system or, as the pathways committee is proposing, a college entrance exam, such as the SAT or ACT. If the state board goes with the college entrance exam, lawmakers would need to address that in state law next year.

Note: Current eighth-graders and high school students will still need to pass ISTEP to graduate from high school, and wouldn’t use the pathways unless their school decided to make it available sooner. It’s not clear how it would work if schools opt-in early.

Why do we need the pathways at all?

Over the past several years, “college and career readiness” has been the tagline at the forefront of U.S. education policy. That’s partially tied to efforts across the country to create new, more rigorous academic standards (remember Common Core?). If the bar was raised, the thinking went, students would eventually be more prepared for demand in the workforce and higher education — both sectors that had reported many students were coming to them without the necessary reading, math and critical-thinking skills to be successful.

In Indiana, the “career” part of that phrase has been especially prominent. Indiana’s most recent executives — Vice President Mike Pence and Gov. Eric Holcomb — have both spearheaded initiatives that aim to give students more opportunities for workforce training in high school.

The graduation pathways were born out of those efforts.

OK, break it down — what are the different pathways and what will students need to do?

Students would have to complete at least one option from each of the following three buckets:

Potential Indiana graduation pathways

Pathway requirements

Pathway options

High school diploma

Meet high school diploma requirements

Show employability skills (complete at least one of the options through locally developed programs)

— Meet all requirements of an Indiana Academic or Technical Honors Diploma
— Meet the “college-ready benchmarks” for the ACT or SAT
— Earn a score of 31 or higher on the ASVAB
— Earn a state- and industry-recognized credential or certification
— Complete a state-, federal- or industry-recognized apprenticeship
— Earn a C average or better in at least 6 high school credits in a career and technical education sequence
— Earn a C average or better in three AP, IB, CLEP, Cambridge International or dual credit courses.
— Complete requirements of a locally created pathway that is approved by the state board

Indiana officials recently learned that the federal government has decided to no longer count the state’s less rigorous General Diploma in graduation rate calculations. The move stems from a provision in new federal law that says the only diploma that can count toward a state’s graduation rate is the one that most students earn — in Indiana, that’s the Core 40. The change will cause graduation rates to drop for many high schools and raises concerns from parents whose children rely on the General Diploma because they struggle academically or have special needs.

Although the state education department has decided to seek a waiver from the federal government to postpone that change, state Superintendent Jennifer McCormick admitted it’s pretty unlikely it will be granted.

Plans for a single Indiana diploma advance with new rules that raise the bar for graduation waivers

In a move that might make it more difficult for some students to graduate, Indiana lawmakers are considering raising the threshold for allowing students to earn a diploma when they have fallen short of some state requirements.

A proposal to change the graduation waiver system is the latest attempt by the state to amend graduation requirements as part of a policy initiative to ensure that students are prepared for life after high school. The change in waiver policy could make it more challenging for students who struggle academically to complete high school.

“I want to make sure we have as few waivers as possible,” said Rep. Bob Behning, Republican chairman of the House Education Committee and author of House Bill 1426, which includes the waiver changes. And if a waiver is necessary, he said, he wants the requirements to be stringent enough to ensure post-graduate success.

An amendment to the bill proposed on Tuesday will change Indiana’s policy for allowing students to receive a waiver that, while controversial, is widely used. More than 8 percent of the more than 70,000 students who graduated last year received waivers from meeting graduation requirements.

Supporters say waivers provide opportunities to students who might face challenges that affect their ability to meet the basic graduation requirements. But critics say they allow high schools to push through students that lack the kind of skills needed to be successfully employed.

Waiver requirements for students with disabilities would not change under the new proposal.

The current system allows students who repeatedly fail required state tests in English and math to be granted a waiver that lets them graduate if they meet other criteria.

But under the new pathways system, which will affect students now in seventh grade, the state graduation exam will be replaced with one of several new graduation pathways requirements, which could include passing a college-entrance exam, taking career and technical education classes, or passing advanced courses.

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Under Behning’s proposal, a waiver would be granted if a student had earned an average GPA of 2.0; maintained 95 percent attendance; or if he or she has been admitted to college, a job training program, the military or has an opportunity to start a career.

The bill allows a school’s principal to approve alternative requirements but doesn’t address how those would be developed. The new rules could also be used by students transferring from schools that are out of state or from private schools not held to graduation pathway rules.

The current criteria to receive a waiver do not call for students to be admitted to college, the military or a job. Students do have to maintain a 95 percent attendance record and a 2.0 grade point average, and also have to complete requirements for a general diploma, take a workforce readiness assessment or earn an industry certification approved by the state board. The standards also require students to obtain letters of recommendation from teachers (with approval of the school principal) and to use class work to show students have mastered the subject despite failing the graduation exam.

It’s not yet clear how many students might be affected by a change to the graduation waiver system. In the months since the Indiana State Board of Education approved the new graduation pathways, educators have raised concerns to state board staff members about the types of students who might not have a clear-cut pathway under the plan — for example, a student headed to college who might not have an exceptional academic record. A waiver outlined by HB 1426 could give them another shot. But for students without definite post-graduation plans, that waiver could be out of reach.

None of the educators or education advocates who testified on the bill spoke out specifically on the waiver changes. Mike Brown, director of legislative affairs for the Indiana Department of Education, said that based on a “cursory look,” the department didn’t have any issues with it.

Aside from the diploma and graduation waiver changes, the bill would also:

Encourage the state board to look into alternatives for Algebra 2, currently a diploma requirement.

Ask the state board to establish guidelines for how districts and schools can create “local” graduation pathways and how they would be approved by the state board. It would also add $500,000 to fund development of local pathways that districts and schools could apply for.

Eliminate the Accuplacer exam, which schools now use to see if high school students need remediation in English or math before they graduate.

Because the bill includes a request for state funding, it next heads to the House Ways and Means Committee.

Called graduation pathways, the goal was to ensure students are ready for life after high school, but the recommendations are complex. The system seems to overlap with existing Indiana diploma requirements and also requires additional criteria such as exams, completing advanced courses, or gaining credit for internships.

But there are no guidelines around, for example, what kinds of internships or community service programs would count for graduation, what kinds of supports and accommodations would be in place for students with disabilities or how the pathways would function alongside a student’s needs for special services and therapies.

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The potential for these challenges was not lost on the dozens of parents and educators who tried to convince state officials last week to rethink the plan. Most of the people who commented publicly and many who sent emails to the state education department mentioned concerns about students with special needs being able to meet the new demands.

Stacey Brewer, a principal in Yorktown, talked about her own child, a 6-year-old with autism, when she addressed the Indiana State Board of Education.

“There is a very real chance that my child with autism will never be able to accomplish” parts of the graduation pathways plan that go beyond what’s required by the state’s general diploma, Brewer said. The state is “not weighing out the disastrous impact” the plan would have on students.

As she finished her passionate testimony, she walked back to her seat to energetic applause from the packed auditorium. Many with similar stories and sentiments spoke after her.

J.T. Coopman, executive director of the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents said before Indiana can create graduation pathways, it needs to figure out what’s happening with its diplomas — a related issue that has vexed parents and educators ever since the federal government announced it would no longer count Indiana’s general diploma in the graduation rate the state reports. The move could exclude about 12 percent of Hoosier high schoolers from being considered graduates.

Indiana has four diplomas: The standard Core 40 diploma, a general diploma with fewer requirements, and two honors diplomas, one for academics and another for career and technical education. Most students in the state earn a Core 40.

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“Don’t we need to fix the diploma statute to better serve all Indiana students before we embark on a new, untested direction for our graduates?” Coopman said.

Not all of the feedback was negative. Mary Roberson, a superintendent in Perry County, said she supported the graduation pathways plan overall, and that her district was already having students with disabilities pursue internships, where they’ve been successful.

In a newsletter sent out last week, Pam Wright, director of special education for the Indiana Department of Education, said policymakers and educators need to remember that all students with disabilities are not the same and have different needs and abilities. Some might struggle to meet the pathways requirements, but others might not.

“It is my hope that as other debates occur during this legislative session, the one-size-fits-all disability myth continues to be debunked,” Wright said in the newsletter. “Yes, definitely, students with disabilities need to be considered in any public policy change, but the uniqueness of each student’s capabilities should not be lost in the debate.”

Only about 17 percent of students with disabilities don’t earn a high school diploma, and almost half earn the state’s standard Core 40 diploma or an honors diploma.

Conversations about pathways, both as they relate to special education and to a variety of other topics, are just getting started. The pathways committee said it would continue to meet to address whether Indiana should create a single statewide diploma and how graduation waivers work in the new system.

Indiana law allows for a graduation waiver if students fail to meet pathway requirements, but the waivers are controversial, and schools are sometimes hesitant to award them. Supporters say they give opportunities to students who might face specific challenges, but critics believe the waivers give students a free pass and don’t ensure they leave high school with adequate skills.

No additional committee meetings have been scheduled at this time.

Students with significant cognitive disabilities — generally about 1 percent of students across the state — wouldn’t be affected by the pathways plan. They typically don’t earn high school diplomas, instead they receive a certificate of completion, a credential that until recently showed employers or educators little else besides that a student physically attended school. (It has since been expanded and updated to include more course suggestions and academic structure.)

Last week wasn’t the first time special education advocates came out in full force to challenge state officials on policy that could be detrimental to students with disabilities. Several diploma-related topics have garnered considerable attention, such as when the state attempted to overhaul diplomas in 2015.

The next year, when lawmakers passed legislation to ensure all schools offered students a chance to earn any state diplomas, educators, parents and other community advocates were there testifying to lawmakers, too. And as recently as last year, when an early version of a bill would have killed the general diploma, the language was amended out after pressure from the special education community.

Often, these graduation policy changes are sparked by a call for students to meet higher standards demanded either by employers or higher education. But Kim Dodson, executive director for the Arc of Indiana, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities, said focusing on raising the academic bar distracts from the very real problems policies like the current graduation pathways plan could present to students with special needs.

“Most of the time, when students fall short of their expectations, it’s not because the bar wasn’t set high enough,” Dodson said. “It’s because they didn’t have the resources and accommodations they needed to be fully successful.”